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Fine Molds is really expensive. Looking at the content of the box makes me wonder how it got to be so expensive. And thanks to you Scat.
You are correct. I bought my first Fine Molds kit when a friend/neighbor from the Air Force traveled there for temporary duty around 2002-03. I asked him to look for a Fine Molds tank model for me. I gave him $100 and told him to buy a small one that looked unique. I sent him with a picture of the available Tamiya Chi-Ha so he would know what not to buy.
He came back with the Fine Molds Te-Ke Type 97 (kit FM-5) which cost 8000 yen (about $80 back then). The kit was tiny; about the size of a 1/72 scale Abrams tank kit, but taller. The completed kit was 4" by 2" and about 3" tall. It is a very small 1/35 scale model kit that cost me $80, but the kit sold in the US for about $150 if you could find it. Today, 8000 yen is worth $104.
I was immediately impressed with the level of detail. The tank came with a complete interior, although the engine was not a stand alone complete engine. It was a series of inserts visible from engine hatches that could be displayed opened or closed.
There was a turned brass barrel about 1" in length and the tracks were petite individual links done in black plastic. A small photo etched fret was inside too.
Fast forward to a few years ago, 2006 or so. I bought another Te-Ke but kit FM-10. It is the same kit as the first Te-Ke, but did not include a metal barrel and the interior sprue was now molded in gray versus OD. Everything else is the same but the price is now 3500 yen, or about $40.
Today, at Hobby Link Japan, most Fine Molds tank kits run between $30-$45 with a couple being in the $65-70 range and one (that big Type 89 that came with 3 magazines http://www.hlj.com/product/FNMOTH-02 ) that costs $100. They are fairly expensive for the size, but are pretty nice kits.